The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Under Scrutiny” has so far recorded 38 election irregularities ahead of the 2026 General Elections, and based on its reports, the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina imposed five sanctions in the total amount of 22,500 KM.
Alma Bajrić, the lawyer of the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition, said today at a press conference in Sarajevo that the largest number of applications, 27 of them, relate to the premature election campaign.
Five cases of illegal paid advertising, four cases of misuse of public resources and two cases of abuse of children for political purposes were recorded.
- So far, 11 political entities that violate election rules have been identified. The most irregularities refer to the SNSD – Milorad Dodik, ten, and the Safe Srpska Movement, five – said Bajrić.
She added that three irregularities were registered with HDZ 1990 and SDA, two each with SDP, Will of the People and United Srpska, and one each with Our Party, Party for Life, PDA and HDZ BiH.
Four sanctions imposed by the CEC of BiH relate to a premature election campaign, while in one case a political entity was sanctioned for both a premature campaign and misuse of public resources.
Bajrić warned against, as she said, the uneven practice of sanctioning after the announcement of elections.
Although the law stipulates that premature campaigning is prohibited from the day the elections are announced, she stated that in practice there was no adequate reaction from the competent institutions until the political entities and candidates were certified to participate in the elections.
- Because of this approach, a large number of recorded cases of premature campaigning and paid advertising did not result in sanctions. It is particularly worrying that sanctions were imposed for similar actions in the last elections, while now a different approach is being applied – said Bajrić.
She assessed that such a practice opens up space for different interpretations of election rules and negatively affects the integrity of the election process.
The Project Manager of the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition, Dario Jovanović, said that the most significant innovation in the General Elections will be the introduction of biometric voter identification and ballot scanners.
According to him, this is a historic step forward and one of the most important steps in protecting the integrity of the electoral process in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, he warned that the introduction of new technologies was accompanied by long-term obstructions in the creation of legal assumptions, delays in securing financial resources and problems in the public procurement process.
- The consequences of the slowed down process are already visible. The appearance of the ballot has not yet been officially presented, and according to publicly available information, it will not contain the names and surnames of the candidates on the lists. This is a significant change compared to the way voters are used to – said Jovanović.
He considers it an additional challenge that voter education starts relatively late, even though the CEC of BiH and civil society organizations plan to conduct information campaigns.
He emphasized that the situation is not yet alarming, but that fundamental changes in the way of voting require a systematic approach and intensive efforts so that every voter understands the way to exercise the right to vote.
Murisa Marić, a member of the Strategic Committee of the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition, announced the start of an independent, civil and non-partisan observation mission for the 2026 General Elections.
She emphasized that non-partisan observation contributes to the restoration of citizens’ trust in the electoral process and to the prevention and prevention of electoral irregularities.
As part of the mission, 15 long-term observers will be hired to monitor and report election irregularities, 42 election day observer recruiters and educators, and about 1,000 observers who will be deployed at polling stations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The mission is carried out with the participation of 37 member organizations of the “Under Scrutiny” Coalition from all over the country and the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The Coalition urged citizens not to succumb to pressure, blackmail and attempts to influence their will to vote, as well as disinformation about new electoral technologies.
- No one can know how you voted. Thanks to the new protection mechanisms, each vote will surely belong to the person to whom the voter gave it – it was announced.
